We have an integrated curriculum for elementary school aged children that builds upon “Spirit Play,” a Unitarian Universalist adaptation of Jerome Berryman’s “Godly Play,” a curriculum that uses Montessori-based methods of hands-on exploration and questioning. Through storytelling and structured free-play opportunities, Spirit Play assists children in ways appropriate for their age and developmental level to explore existential questions such as, Where did we come from? What are we doing here? How do we choose to live our lives?

From there, we use James Fowler’s Stages of Faith Development to build from the intuitive trust of childhood to the community building during coming-of-age in the teen years. Here, our younger explorers are on a journey of discovery towards expanding and deepening their understanding of the Unitarian Universalist faith tradition . . . a tradition that won’t TELL them the answers to life’s biggest questions but will instead expose them to wide variety of perspectives and teach them how to think critically and draw their OWN conclusions. All the while having fun and developing connections with other like-minded (or not so like minded!) kids that will last a lifetime.

Our Religious Exploration Program takes place on 1st and 3rd Sundays from Labor Day through Mid-May. You can find us in the R.E. Building (the white fenced-in building, between the Fellowship and the parking lot) immediately after service.

If you are new to the Fellowship and would like to learn more about our Religious Exploration offerings, contact Angela Farmer at cre@auuf.org.